Grim Tales 1: Time Paradox
by DracoWolf316
Summary: My continuation for the famous online comic series "Grim Tales." This is the first in a line of stories I hope to do on it. Some of them will be crossovers, some will be normal stories. You'll be able to tell the story in the time line by the number.


**A/N:** The following story is a prequel to many others I'll probably do. Just know that it occurs after the end of Grim Tales by Snafu. I loved the comics a lot, but the ending just didn't sit right with me for some reason. So I made this. Enjoy.

* * *

Grim Junior sat on the Dying Room couch. He felt depressed. Sure, he got his sister back, and she was given a new body. And he got his own powers to boot. So everything should be okay in the world, right? Then why did he have a guilty feeling in his stomach? Was it because he took her powers away? No, she freely offered them up to him. Was it because he almost destroyed the world? No, that was the creatures fault. Then what?

"Why do I feel like this?" He asked himself. Minnie came into the room.

"Greetings Brother. Why art thou in a foul mood?" She asked.

"It's nothing." Junior said. Minnie sat down beside him.

"Art thou thinking of thine past troubles?" She asked.

"A little." He admitted. Minnie put an arm around him.

"Thou need not mellow in thine thoughts brother. Thou hast fixed those troubles and saved me."

"Yeah, but if it weren't for me, we wouldn't have even gotten into those troubles. I wouldn't keep having to restrain my demon half, and you…you would still have your original body." Minnie lifted his chin.

"Brother, what has happened, has happened. And nothing we couldst ever do would change it." Junior sighed.

"I guess." Minnie hugged him.

"Come, Mother and Father require our presence for an unknown reason." Minnie went off. Junior followed her.

* * *

"Junior, it is about time you began your reaper training." Grim said. The family was seated in the meeting room. Grim was in a large swivel chair at one end of the table, while Mandy was beside him to his right. To his left was Uncle Nergal, in his usual form. Minnie was beside her brother at the other end of the table, three chairs away from Grim.

"We have been talking, and we think you've proven yourself ready to train." Mandy said.

"I've asked Uncle Nergal to come here because he will also be teaching you how to utilize your demon half." Grim said.

"Be warned Junior," Said Nergal Jr. "It may look easy to control, but it's not. It's only easy for me because I was directly birthed from the original. You are one in a line of Nergal Demons." Junior gulped.

"We will start your training tomorrow, so you can have time to digest what you've been told." Grim said. He then tossed a book at him. He barely caught it.

"Here is the book of spells for a Reaper. You should get to know some of them. It will only open the spells you're powerful enough to cast however, so it will be limited at the moment. Are you ready?" All eyes were on him. Junior was getting really nervous. He felt a hand go onto his. He looked at its owner. Minnie smiled at him encouragingly. Junior swallowed.

"I'm ready Dad."

* * *

Junior looked through the book in his room. It looked like any typical dead teenage skeleton's room, messy.

"Wart curse…shadow tentacles…mind control…what the heck's an 'AIDS'?" He was flipping from page to page. He saw a bunch of titles, but like Grim said, the only ones that he couldn't do had no instructions. He was nearing the end.

"Zombie Thriller…Ten Plagues…Time warp…Hey wait, what the—?" He went back. There it was, the Time Warp Spell. There was nothing written on it, yet Junior knew exactly what it did.

"I could go back in time…Clockwork really did give Dad control of time." He looked at the level. It was a 5th Level Spell. That was half way to the highest level. It would take him a year to get that far! And yet, the gears in Junior's mind were already spinning. A light bulb appeared above his head.

"That's it! I'll learn that spell, and go back in time to stop myself from being kidnapped. Then Minnie will return to her original form and things will right themselves!" The door suddenly opened. Fred Fred Burger came in.

"Hi Junior, Hi, I am the electrician, and I have, um, run out of light bulbs. Do you have—" He saw Junior staring at him, with a light bulb above his head.

"A light bulb, yes." He walked over and took the light bulb from the top of his head. He walked out of the room.

"Thank you, yes." Junior heard him screw something in, and then you hear a bunch of screaming and zapping noises. Fred Fred Burger came back in, covered in burned fur.

"Hey, I learned, I learned that if you have your fingers in the socket, while screwing in the light bulb, you get electrocuted. You get electrocuted real bad, yes. He walked out. Junior just stood there motionless.

"O…kay?" He said.

* * *

A year has passed. Junior is now 13 years old, and was about to move on to level 5.

'Oh man, I can't wait!' He thought. Grim stood over him.

"Well done Junior, I am very pleased at your progress. It gives me great pleasure to award you with this certificate." He handed a framed certificate to Junior. As he touched it, he was given an energy shock.

"Congratulations, you are now a level Five Reaper. You are half way to becoming a full Reaper."

"Yes!" Junior cheered. Mandy watched with Minnie nearby. Minnie smiled at her mom with joy. Mandy just nodded to her, then looked at Junior. Grim patted Junior's head.

"We'll meet again at the training ground next week Junior. Uncle Nergal will be there along with me for your demon training as well." Junior smiled.

"Now, go along. You have the rest of the day off." Junior excitedly went off to his room. He closed the door behind him. He hung the certificate up on the wall next to his other ones. He opened up his spell book, and flipped to the marked page. The Time Spell. And there were finally instructions on it!

"I just need to get a scythe and chant these words? That's it? I thought it would be cooler, like sacrificing something." He grabbed his scythe from the wall hook. He was about to chant the words, when there was a flash of blue light.

"Are you sure you should do that Junior?" A familiar voice said. Junior turned around. There was Clockwork, hovering in the middle of his room.

"Yes! I have to! I want Minnie to have her original life ack. I want to fix my mistakes!"

"Junior, you do remember what I said about the time Stream?"

"Yeah, if I mess something up in the past, then it could screw up the whole time stream. I don't care. I want to make things better again."

"Yes, but what will that create for the future?" Clockwork asked, his arms crossed.

"I…I…I don't know. I just know I have to do this." Clockwork closed his eyes.

"Then, I won't stop you. But I want you to know, I won't help you if this goes wrong. You'll have to fix it yourself." Junior looked away from Clockwork. He was thinking to himself.

'What if he's right? What if I just make things worse for everyone? I could end up making things worse for Minnie...But I know that I won't change much by doing this. But what if something worse happens by stopping my kidnapping?' He began to lower his scythe. 'Maybe I shouldn't do this…' He looked at Clockwork. He just smiled. Junior tightened the grip on his scythe. He suddenly lifted it above his head.

"Niaga praw emit eht od s'tel!"He shouted as he brought the scythe down. A portal opened up in the air. He looked back at Clockwork before jumping through it. Clockwork just sighed.

"Very Well. We'll see what your actions will cause. He disappeared.

* * *

Junior walked away from the party, scowling. He sat down at a fountain, muttering to himself.

"Stupid Minnie. Stupid Party…Stupid Halloween." He sat there, grumbling.

"Ruff Ruff!" A bark sounded. A ghost dog with a glowing pumpkin nose came up to him, his mouth in a wide grin. Junior immediately cheered up.

"Hey there little fella! Where did you come from?" He patted the dog's head.

"Gosh! What a brilliant nose you've got there!" He said as he snapped a rib off. He began to excite the dog by taunting him with it.

"Here boy! Fetch!" He said as he tossed it. The dog went off. Junior didn't notice three shadows creeping up from behind. Suddenly, a sack was thrown over him.

"What the-!" He shouted as it was tied over him. Three kids wearing costumes just snickered as he squirmed about.

"Trick of Treat!" They laughed. Junior just kept struggling.

"Hey! Lemme out of here!"

"No!" They said at once. They were about to head for a tub, when suddenly, there was a bang.

"What the-?" Lock said in surprise. They dropped Junior with a thud. He groaned. A portal opened up in front of them. A figure stepped out from it. It was Junior!

"Wait, I thought he was the one we were supposed to get?" Barrel said to them.

"Let him go." Junior II said as the portal closed.

"Or what?" They all said. Junior II sighed. He hoped his demon training had worked.

"This." His sweatshirt suddenly warped and wobbled. A mass of black sludge covered in fangs and eyes surged forth, growing into a long sword. The three of them suddenly looked terrified.

"Now, either let him go, or you feel how it is to be reaped demon style." They just nodded quickly before untying the bag. Junior I came out.

"What was that all abou--?" He stopped when he saw what was happening. He saw his would-be kidnappers being terrified by…himself?

"Now, get out of here, and tell Oogie that his scheme has failed." They just nodded and hurried to the tub and it rode away. Junior I just stared at Junior II as the sword melted back into his sweatshirt.

"Wh-Who are you?" Junior I asked.

"I am you, from the future. I've come to prevent a terrible thing that will happen."

"What? But…but what was that with the sword?"

"In my timeline, Minnie died, and gave her powers to me, because a strange person called Oogie killed her by tearing her apart." Junior I looked shocked.

"What? But…but she's fine! I just saw her-"

"At the party I know. Don't worry. By driving those three off, I've hopefully reset the timeline. Just know this: Minnie loves you. She gave you her demon powers when she died, and I was saved by her again and again afterwards. I even saved her from terrifying creatures. And what's worse, she ends up with no powers of her own, and in a makeshift body. That's why I came back. I wanted to make sure that she would be okay. You will get your powers, but I didn't feel right taking mine from Minnie."

Junior I was starting to cry now. "All this time, I hated her, and now...Oh man, I've been such an idiot!" He fell to his knees. Junior II walked up to him.

"Don't cry. Just know that Minnie is now safe from harm, and she won't ever go through the torture that she did in my timeline. Go and find her. If you find out about her powers, then don't feel jealous. Embrace her for it. Make her know that you care for her." The dog came back, holding the rib in his mouth. He got confused between the two Juniors. Junior I saw him and smiled, drying his eye sockets with his sleeve.

"Here boy. Come here." He said. The dog ghost came over, and licked his face. Junior I laughed. Junior II looked at him. Junior I looked at him as well, and nodded with a smile. Junior II took out his scythe and chanted the spell again. He sliced the portal open and stepped through. Junior I waved him goodbye.

* * *

Minnie was wandering her way around the grave yard near Spiral Hill. She jumped along the top of the tomb stones, and stood balanced on the tip of her right foot, gazing up at the starry night.

'Oh the stars! How they glisten in this night so clear. And the moon! Even the moon seems to smile upon me in this dreary mood of mine. The Wind_'Tis so peaceful…like the whispering of doves.' She looked at the moon now, and the bats that flew in its light.

'Sir moon, so merry…I feel as if he invites me to follow fancy, and dance with him among the stars.

She closed her eyes.

'So, sir moon, tonight I can join you in your grand eternal dance.' She began to sprout a black bunch of tentacles that formed into leathery wings and a razor tail. She jumped off the gravestone, and began to dance within the air, flying gracefully with the startled bats. She suddenly heard a cry.

"Minnie!" She turned around, startled. Junior was there, along with a ghost dog. She quickly landed near him, the wings melting away.

"Brother dearest. Do not feel as if this knowledge and power makes me greater than thou. I do not wish any further embarrassment upon thine cons-" Junior hugged her, as tightly as he could. Tears came from his eye sockets. Minnie was surprised.

"Dear Brother, pardon my ignorance, but why art thou doing this? I embarra-"

"No, it was my fault. I shouldn't have tried to outdo you. I was just a little jealous at the time. I just don't want you to think I'm mad at you."

"But what are thou's emotions on my ability? Art thou jealous of them as well?"

"No. I'm glad." He pulled away. "I'm glad that you have this gift. It means at least I won't be the only sibling with supernatural powers. And I'm happy for you." Minnie was a bit confused at all this. Her brother was acting strangely.

"Brother, why art thou saying this knowledge now?"

"I guess I just thought back on my life, and realized that I could have pushed harder at what I did. I guess I'm just saying that I realized what a jerk I've been. I had a great sister, and I've just been pushing her away. Can you forgive me?" Minnie stood motionless. Junior began to wonder if he freaked her out. Suddenly she grabbed him and hugged him tight.

"Oh brother, thou art forgiven! Thou art forgiven!" She said with a smile. Junior hugged her back and they stood like that for a long time.

* * *

Junior walked out of the portal. He looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. Then again, it was his room. He looked outside into the hallway. Normal. He walked around.

"Hello? Minnie?" He called out. There came a reply from a nearby doorway.

"Yes brother?" He turned to look at her. She was her old self! She looked about a year older than before, but she was definitely in her old body. He quickly concentrated on his arm. Nothing. His demon powers were gone! He felt his eye sockets. The eye wasn't there. He was grinning ear to ear.

"Brother, why art thou grinning as wide as a laughing hyena?" Minnie asked. Junior shook his head.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just a joke I remembered. Where are Mom and Dad?"

"Mother and father have retired to their bedroom. They mentioned a spell of sleep before going." Junior sighed.

"Okay, sorry for bothering you." She smiled a bit before going back to her room. There was a sudden flash from behind Junior. He turned around to see Clockwork standing before him, ginning a knowing smile.

"You have done well young reaper." He said.

"You knew all along it would work didn't it?" Junior asked.

"What gave you that impression?" He said.

"You're the master of time. You see all that is and will happen. Plus you said, "If" when you told me you wouldn't help me if it went wrong. Being the master f Time, you would have said "When." Clockwork clapped a little.

"Congratulations junior, you've earned another award."

"For what?" He asked.

"For making a decision at a tense time. In the future, you'll be making a lot of those as reaper." He winked and disappeared. Junior just smiled.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Halloween town.

Lock Shock and Barrel were in straight jackets in Oogie's casino, inside a cell.

"There were two. We swear there were two of them. He made black sludge." They kept mumbling with wide eyes. Oogie just came by with a cart of Milk and cookies.

"Yes, I'm sure de did." He said as he put the two in the cell with them.

* * *

There it is. Read Review and no flames.

(PS, for those who understand what the Time Spell actually said, you get a cookie, and a reference to a famous dance song.)


End file.
